Just a Thought
The Second Sunday of Advent is dominated by the figure of John the Baptist. Each of the synoptic Gospels recalls his preaching and his role as the immediate precursor of the Lord. In many ways John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament and the first prophet of the New. If we read quickly, these three accounts appear to be identical, except for some detail that one may be tempted to neglect, and we shouldn’t give into the temptation of trying to synthesise them so as to come up with one story, this would be regrettable, because we would erase the particular styles of these three witnesses, however comfortable Matthew, Mark and Luke may otherwise fit into the context — the collection — of the three liturgies of the Word, accompanied on this Second Sunday of Advent Year C by texts from Baruch and the Letter of Paul to the Philippians.
In the First reading we hear the end of the poem by Baruch. The prophet sends, on behalf of God, a message of consolation and hope to a personified Jerusalem. The city to which they always hoped to return bore the sorrow of its departed children. It is told to throw off its ‘robe of sorrow and affliction,’ to put on ‘the beauty of the glory from God— and the robe of the righteousness from God,’ to place on its head ‘the crown that displays the glory of the eternal name.’ The return of the exiles is at hand: the city must prepare to receive them.
As always, salvation, as the work of God — ‘because he is mindful’ — is a gathering of those who were dispersed and isolated. And as always, this gathering takes place around the word of God, by his intervention. It takes the form of a triumphal return, in contrast to the confused rout of the dispersion. Driven out in forced marches, the people return walking cheerfully along easy paths, sometimes even carried in triumph. The difficulties of the terrain are smoothed out, whether the highest mountains, the hills, or the valleys. The sun does not overwhelm them: they walk in the shade of forests and fragrant trees! The mercy of God and his justice escort them.
The last book of the Bible — the Revelation of John — ends with a vision of the heavenly Jerusalem, which the seer contemplates from the top of a mountain:
‘Then I saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no longer. I also saw a new Jerusalem, the holy city, coming down out of heaven from God, beautiful as a bride prepared to meet her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne cry out: ‘This is God’s dwelling among men. He shall dwell with them and they shall be his people and he shall be their God who is always with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out in pain, for the former world has passed away.’ The One who sat on the throne said to me, ‘ See, I make all things new!’’
Christians can profit by studying the poetry portions of the Book of Baruch. This is even more the case when the architect of this reunification of all nations, coming from the four corners of the earth is henceforth the Word made flesh: Jesus the Word of God, whose nativity at Bethlehem we celebrate and who’s coming at the end of time we await.
Enter, the presentation of John the Baptist and his ministry in the Gospel according to Luke.
What strikes you at the beginning of this text is the solemnity of the first phase, which sounds like an official proclamation: ‘In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontus Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Phillip his brother tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.’
Especially in the first two chapters of his Gospel, Luke, the historian, takes care to give chronological benchmarks that situate events of which he speaks: the announcement to Zechariah of the birth of John the Baptist ‘in the days of Herod, king of Judea’; the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem ‘While Quirinius was governor of Syria.’ The accumulation of this sort of thing here is unique. The reference to secular history is followed by a traditional citation of the prophecy of Isaiah i.e. (Isaiah 40:3-5) The important thing to realise is that by joining them, Luke suggests that the history of salvation is integrated into the course of the history of all people.
The Gospel for this Sunday puts us in the context and dynamic of the Advent season: immediate preparation for the celebration of Christmas; and the beginning of a new liturgical year that sets forth, at this time, the mystery of salvation in Jesus Christ — from the Nativity to Easter — its continuity in the mission of the Church, and its final fulfilment in the triumphal return of the Son of Man. Today, John the Baptist takes centre stage: ‘ prepare the way of the Lord.’ The one for whom we must make the path straight is not named. Nevertheless, it is he, and not the Precursor, who is found at the heart of the Gospel as well as at the heart of the celebration. Not only his person, though, but also the ‘salvation of God’ that he accomplishes in the fulfilment of Scriptures. He who was born at a specific time in human history, who, with a unique authority accompanied by miracles, announced the good news, who died and was resurrected, was raised to the right hand of God, from whence he shall come to judge the living and the dead. All this can be read in the passage from the Gospel this Sunday. The proclamation in the Creed makes it explicit. The Eucharist makes a memorial of it in the offering of the bread of life and the cup of salvation, while we sing the praises of the Father through Jesus Christ, his beloved Son, and where we receive the Body and Blood of Christ for eternal life.
John the Baptist, the faithful precursor, turns us toward the celebration of the mystery of salvation by Christ. Luke recalls, in citing a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah, that: ‘all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’
The preaching of John the Baptist is oriented towards the first manifestation of the Lord who comes after him to announce the good news of the kingdom that is at hand and, to call for conversion. Before this announcement, there are others to which Luke rightly witnesses: to Mary and Joseph by an angel at the annunciation ; at the Temple by Simeon and the prophetess Anna; to the shepherds at Bethlehem. In each of the announcements the same dimensions of the mystery are proclaimed. For instance they speak of the coming of a Saviour — a coming of the Lord manifesting the glory of God. ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven.’ The shepherds understood this well: after having seen the child Jesus at Bethlehem: ‘they glorified and praised God.’ As did Simeon and Anna; as did Mary. And last but not least, the angel said to Mary that his ‘reign will have no end,’ which suggests another coming of the Son of the Most High upon this earth. This is completely in line with what the prophets had announced in the First reading. This is why Paul can say that we march toward the day when we will be ‘found rich in the harvest of justice which Jesus Christ has ripened in you, to the glory and praise of God.’
Like the first coming of the Lord, the second must be prepared for personally in the community of believers, by fidelity to the will of God and the active reception of his grace. As Paul tells us — God has begun his ‘work’ and asks only that it be followed to its end: ‘up to the day of Christ Jesus.’ Actually, there are still many mountains and hills, many valleys that are obstacles on the road to peace and justice, ‘glory and piety to God,’ and divisions between men and women and the scattered faithful! There are also many who have not seen the salvation of God. For all that, Advent is a time of hope and joy, of confidence as expressed in prayer: ‘Our Father……your kingdom come!’ It moves us toward the approaching celebration of the Nativity of our Lord, which is not a simple commemoration of his first coming long ago, but an actualisation of this first manifestation that announces and guarantees what is already on the horizon.
‘Leave your sorrows and tears, put on your garments of joy: The one who is coming comes on the clouds! The love of God guides us; his glory is our light: The one who is coming comes victorious! Why do you not hasten toward the day of your God? The one who is coming comes for our joy! Prepare his way, accept his pardon; each of us will see the grace of our God on the. Day of judgement! Happy the one who believed that one day would be fulfilled the words of our God for all men whom he loves! Behold, the times are come when the Lord of Justice will fulfil his promise of Peace for all men whom he loves!’ ( D. Rimaud -[Choristes] 1983)
‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight; all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’
